Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and one of the most influential activists on the right, has died after being shot at a Utah rally today, President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform.
Kirk was 31.
Trump wrote, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
Kirk, one of the most prominent social media influencers and podcasters on the right, also was credited with mobilizing young voters for Trump’s reelection bid. He was on a tour of college campuses, the latest being an appearance at Utah Valley University.
Video of the shooting showed Kirk speaking at a large outdoor event on university grounds. Then, he lurched backward as blood poured from his neck.
In the two hours before Trump’s post, political leaders on both sides of the aisle condemned the shooting, an apparent act of violence against a vocal activist on the right. The messages had a common theme: At a time of deep division in the country, violence has no place.
Networks have been covering the shooting since the first reports emerged in the 2 p.m. ET hour.
MORE TO COME…
